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Fortune
Fortune
Sydney Lake

The MacKenzie Scott paradox: How a bull market lets billionaires give away tens of billions without getting poorer

(Credit: Getty Images—Dia Dipasupil)

MacKenzie Scott has spent the past several years rapidly giving away her $35 billion fortune. But due to the power of Amazon shares she received upon her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the market keeps handing that wealth back to her.

Scott received roughly a 4% stake in the company (then worth about $36 billion) when they divorced, but has since donated more than $26 billion to thousands of organizations through her philanthropic platform, Yield Giving. She even was the biggest megadonor of 2025, having donated a whopping $7.2 billion in 2025 alone.

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